Website/Out of Game Resources – 25 Points

The website looks like its design has been updated recently and isn’t stuck in the early 2000’s – 5/5 points

The information on the website is up to date, however, the community maintained wiki where more detailed information is available doesn’t seem well maintained – 7/10 points

The in-game help files are available directly from the website – 5/5 points

A link to the forums for the game is pretty easy to find – 5/5 points

Game Community – 25 Points

Lusternia treats new players pretty well, however if you have the bad luck to roll in an organization that doesn’t peak during your play time, it can feel empty and/or be tough to talk to someone about the particulars about your organization, class, faction, and the like – 10/15 points

Other players and administrators are very responsive to new players when questions are asked or issues are encountered – 5/5 points

Based on the new player experience in Lusternia provided by its community, I would give the game a fair shake – 5/5 points

Gameplay Mechanics – 25 Points

Lusternia possesses plenty of unique mechanics and systems that set apart from other MUDs, and its other sister Iron Realms Entertainment games. From experience gained doing something other than quests or killing mobs to setting sail in the space between planes of existence, there’s plenty of unique content – 5/5 points

Lusternia is responsive, and you don’t ever feel like you’re waiting on output from the game to your commands – 5/5 points

A lot of the mechanics are not too friendly to new players. A lack of an automated system for maintaining the health of your characters that other Iron Realms Entertainment games possess is a problem – 2/5 points

Lusternia possesses a large degree of mechanical depth, whether it be in the form of fighting other players or figuring out the most efficient set of buffs to make grinding take as little time as possible – 5/5 points

Again, Lusternia is getting knocked a point for not having an automated serverside system for maintaining the health of your character. However, with the amount of customization you can do with the default game (prompt, colors, channel colors, and a lot more) it’s not exactly lagging in this category – 4/5 points

Roleplaying and Setting – 25 Points

Lusternia’s story is varied and fairly unique in its scope, however the Lovecraftian aspect to the Soulless Gods was kinda meh – 8/10 points

The quality of writing, however, and the adherence to the overall vision that Estarra has for the world of Lusternia is top notch – 10/10 points

RP quality is a very subjective thing. However, while Lusternia is a RP enforced game, many times people are present that manage the bare minimum of staying “in character”, insofar as they don’t talk about Sunday’s game – 3/5 points

Total Score: 84/100

Final Verdict: Worth giving a go if you like a unique setting, lots of mechanical depth, and roleplayers who in general try.